Sport ball casing with thermoplastic reinforcing material

ABSTRACT

A sport ball may have a plurality of panels that are joined at seams to form a casing. The panels may include a thermoplastic polymer material applied to an interior side of the panels, and the thermoplastic polymer material may be heat-activated to extend across the seams. The ball may further include a bladder within the casing and an intermediate layer located between the casing and the bladder. The thermoplastic polymer material may also be heat-activated to bond with the intermediate layer or casing.

BACKGROUND

A variety of inflatable sport balls, such as a soccer ball,conventionally exhibit a layered structure that includes a casing, anintermediate layer, and a bladder.

-   -   The casing forms an exterior portion of the sport ball and is        generally formed from a plurality of durable and wear-resistant        panels joined together along abutting edges (e.g., with        stitching or adhesives). Although panel configurations may vary        significantly, the casing of a traditional soccer ball includes        thirty-two panels, twelve of which have a pentagonal shape and        twenty of which have a hexagonal shape.

The intermediate layer forms a middle portion of the sport ball and ispositioned between the casing and the bladder. Among other purposes, theintermediate layer may provide a softened feel to the sport ball, impartenergy return, and restrict expansion of the bladder. In someconfigurations, the intermediate layer or portions of the intermediatelayer may be bonded, joined, or otherwise incorporated into the casingas a backing material.

The bladder, which has an inflatable configuration, is located withinthe intermediate layer to provide an interior portion of the sport ball.In order to facilitate inflation (i.e., with pressurized air), thebladder generally includes a valved opening that extends through each ofthe intermediate layer and casing, thereby being accessible from anexterior of the sport ball.

SUMMARY

In one aspect, the disclosure sets forth a ball including a casing and alayer within the casing. The casing may be formed from a plurality ofpanels joined together at seams with a thermoplastic polymer materialapplied to an interior side of the casing adjacent to the seams.According to aspects set forth herein, the thermoplastic polymermaterial may be activated by heat.

In another aspect set forth herein, a ball includes a casing forming atleast a portion of an exterior surface of the ball, and the casingincludes an exterior side and an interior side. The casing furtherincludes a first panel and a second panel, each with a thermoplasticpolymer material layer on the interior side adjacent to an edge area,wherein the thermoplastic polymer material is configured to be activatedby heat. The casing includes at least one seam joining an edge area ofthe first panel and an edge area of the second panel, and wherein thethermoplastic polymer material layers of the first and second panelshave been heat-activated. The ball also includes a bladder locatedwithin the casing that may be pressurized with air.

In another aspect, a method of manufacturing a ball is disclosed. Themethod includes providing a plurality of casing panels, wherein aninterior side of the casing panels includes a thermoplastic polymermaterial layer applied adjacent to edges of the casing panels, andwherein the thermoplastic polymer material is configured to be activatedby heat. The method further includes joining the edges of the casingpanels together to form an inverted casing, turning the casingright-side out through an aperture formed by at least one of the casingpanels, inserting a bladder in the casing, inflating the bladder, andapplying heat to the thermoplastic polymer material layer to activatethe layer.

The advantages and features of novelty characterizing aspects of theinvention are pointed out with particularity in the appended claims. Togain an improved understanding of the advantages and features ofnovelty, however, reference may be made to the following descriptivematter and accompanying figures that describe and illustrate variousconfigurations and concepts related to the invention.

FIGURE DESCRIPTIONS

The foregoing Summary and the following Detailed Description will bebetter understood when read in conjunction with the accompanyingfigures.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a sport ball.

FIG. 2 is another perspective view of the sport ball.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the sport ball asdefined by section line 3-3 in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of an interior side of a panel of the sport ball.

FIGS. 5A-5C are plan views of additional configurations of an interiorside of the panel.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of two joined panels.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the joined panels, as defined bysection line 7-7 in FIG. 6.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a welding tool utilized in joining thepanels.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the welding tool, as defined bysection line 9-9 in FIG. 8.

FIGS. 10A-10E are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating steps ofwelding the panels together in a manufacturing process for the sportball.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view that corresponds with FIG. 9 andillustrates another configuration of the welding tool.

FIGS. 12A-12E are perspective views illustrating further steps in themanufacturing process for the sport ball.

FIG. 13 is a perspective view of a manufacturing assembly in an openconfiguration that may be used in the manufacturing process for thesport ball.

FIG. 14 is a perspective view of the manufacturing assembly in a closedconfiguration.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view of the sport ball being located within themanufacturing assembly.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the sport ballfollowing the manufacturing process.

FIG. 17 is a perspective view of another configuration of a sport ball.

FIG. 18 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of the sport ball of FIG.17, as defined by section line 18-18 in FIG. 17.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following discussion and accompanying figures disclose various sportball configurations and methods relating to manufacturing of the sportballs. Although the sport ball is discussed and depicted in relation toa soccer ball, concepts associated with the configurations and methodsmay be applied to various types of inflatable sport balls. In additionto soccer balls, therefore, concepts discussed herein may beincorporated into basketballs, footballs (for either American footballor rugby), volleyballs, and water polo balls, for example. A variety ofnon-inflatable sport balls, such as baseballs and softballs, may alsoincorporate concepts discussed herein.

A sport ball 10 having the general configuration of a soccer ball isdepicted in FIGS. 1-3. Ball 10 exhibits a layered structure having (a) acasing 20 that forms an exterior portion of ball 10, (b) an intermediatelayer 30 located within casing 20, and (c) an inflatable bladder 40 thatforms an interior portion of ball 10. Upon pressurization, bladder 40induces ball 10 to take on a substantially spherical shape. Moreparticularly, pressure within bladder 40 causes bladder 40 to place anoutward force upon intermediate layer 30. In turn, intermediate layer 30places an outward force upon casing 20. In order to limit expansion ofbladder 40 and also limit tension in casing 20, a portion ofintermediate layer 30 may have a limited degree of stretch. In otherwords, bladder 40 places an outward force upon intermediate layer 30,but the stretch characteristics of intermediate layer 30 effectivelyprevent the outward force from inducing significant tension in casing20. Accordingly, intermediate layer 30 restrains pressure from bladder40, while permitting outward forces to induce a spherical shape incasing 20, thereby imparting a spherical shape to ball 10.

Casing 20 is formed from various panels 21 that are joined togetheralong abutting sides or edges to form a plurality of seams 22. As can beseen in FIG. 3, which depicts a cross-section of two joined panels 21,each panel 21 of the casing 20 has an exterior side 28 that ultimatelyforms the exterior of ball 10, as well as an interior side 27 whichultimately lies on the interior of ball 10. A hot-melt thermoplasticpolymer layer 35, discussed in more detail below, may be applied alonginterior side 27. Although panels 21 are depicted as having the shapesof twelve equilateral pentagons, panels 21 may have non-equilateralshapes, concave or convex edges, or a variety of other shapes (e.g.,triangular, square, rectangular, hexagonal, trapezoidal, round, oval,non-geometrical) that combine in a tessellation-type manner to formcasing 20. In some configurations, ball 10 may have twelve pentagonalpanels 21 and twenty hexagonal panels 21 to impart the generalconfiguration of a traditional soccer ball. Selected panels 21 may alsobe formed of unitary (i.e., one piece) construction with adjacent panels21 to form bridged panels that reduce the number of seams 22.Accordingly, the configuration of casing 20 may vary significantly.

The panels of conventional sport balls may be joined with stitching(e.g., hand or machine stitching). According to aspects describedherein, a welding process may also be utilized in the manufacture ofball 10 to join panels 21 and form seams 22. More particularly, panels21 are at least partially formed from a polymer material, which may be athermoplastic polymer material, and edges of panels 21 may be heated andbonded to each other to form seams 22. An example of the configurationof seams 22 is depicted in the cross-section of FIG. 3, wherein thewelding process has effectively secured, bonded, or otherwise joined twoof panels 21 to each other by combining or comingling the polymermaterial from each of panels 21. In some configurations, some of panels21 may be joined through stitching or various seams 22 may besupplemented with stitching or adhesives.

According to an embodiment described herein, ball 10 may also includeprovisions for adding strength and stability to seams 22, such as ahot-melt thermoplastic polymer layer 35 applied to an interior side 27of panel 21. In general, a thermoplastic polymer material melts whenheated and returns to a solid state when cooled. More particularly, thethermoplastic polymer material transitions from a solid state to asoftened or liquid state when subjected to sufficient heat, and then thethermoplastic polymer material transitions from the softened or liquidstate to the solid state when sufficiently cooled. Referring to FIG. 3,hot-melt layer 35 may provide additional bonding along seam 22 asdescribed in greater detail below. Additionally, hot-melt layer 35 maybond casing 20 to intermediate layer 30.

One advantage of utilizing a welding process to form seams 22 relates tothe overall mass of ball 10. Whereas approximately ten to fifteenpercent of the mass of a conventional sport ball may be from the seamsbetween panels, welding panels 21 may reduce the mass at seams 22. Byeliminating stitched seams in casing 20, the mass that would otherwisebe imparted by the stitched seams may be utilized for other structuralelements that enhance the performance properties (e.g., energy return,spherical shape, mass distribution, durability, aerodynamics) of ball10. Another advantage relates to manufacturing efficiency. Stitchingeach of the seams of a conventional sport ball is a relativelytime-consuming process, particularly when hand stitching is utilized. Bywelding panels 21 together at seams 22, the time necessary for formingcasing 20 may be decreased, thereby increasing the overall manufacturingefficiency.

Intermediate layer 30 is positioned between casing 20 and bladder 40 andmay be formed to include one or more of a compressible foam layer thatprovides a softened feel to the sport ball, a rubber layer that impartsenergy return, and a restriction layer to restrict expansion of bladder40. The overall structure of intermediate layer 30 may varysignificantly. As an example, the restriction layer may be formed from(a) a thread, yarn, or filament that is repeatedly wound around bladder40 in various directions to form a mesh that covers substantially all ofbladder 40, (b) a plurality of generally flat or planar textile elementsstitched together to form a structure that extends around bladder 40,(c) a plurality of generally flat or planar textile strips that areimpregnated with latex and placed in an overlapping configuration aroundbladder 40, or (d) a substantially seamless spherically-shaped textile.In some configurations of ball 10, intermediate layer 30 or portions ofintermediate layer 30 may also be bonded, joined, or otherwiseincorporated into casing 20 or intermediate layer 30 may be absent fromball 10. Accordingly, the structure of intermediate layer 30 may varysignificantly to include a variety of configurations and materials.

Bladder 40 has an inflatable configuration and is located withinintermediate layer 30 to provide an inner portion of ball 10. Wheninflated, bladder 40 exhibits a rounded or generally spherical shape. Inorder to facilitate inflation, bladder 40 may include a valved opening(not depicted) that extends through intermediate layer 30 and casing 20,thereby being accessible from an exterior of ball 10, or bladder 40 mayhave a valve-less structure that is semi-permanently inflated. Bladder40 may be formed from a rubber or carbon latex material thatsubstantially prevents air or other fluids within bladder 40 fromdiffusing to the exterior of ball 10. In addition to rubber and carbonlatex, a variety of other elastomeric or otherwise stretchable materialsmay be utilized for bladder 40. Bladder 40 may also have a structureformed from a plurality of joined panels, as disclosed in U.S. PatentApplication Publication Number 2009/0325745 A1, filed in the U.S. Patentand Trademark Office on 27 Jun. 2008, which is entirely incorporatedherein by reference.

The panels of conventional sport balls, as discussed above, may bejoined with stitching (e.g., hand or machine stitching). Panels 21 are,however, at least partially formed from a polymer material, which may bea thermoplastic polymer material that can be joined through the weldingprocess. Referring to FIG. 4, an interior side 27 of one of panels 21prior to incorporation into ball 10 is depicted as having a panel area23 and five flange areas 24. Whereas panel area 23 generally forms acentral portion of panel 21, flange areas 24 form an edge portion ofpanel 21 and extend around panel area 23. For purposes of reference,dashed lines 29 are depicted as extending between panel area 23 and thevarious flange areas 24. Panel 21 has a pentagonal shape and each offlange areas 24 correspond with one side region of the pentagonal shape.In further configurations where a panel has a different shape, thenumber of flange areas may change to correspond with the number of sidesof the shape. Panel 21 defines five incisions 25 that extend inward fromvertices of the pentagonal shape and effectively separate the variousflange areas 24 from each other. Incisions 25 extend entirely throughthe thickness of panels 21 to disconnect flange areas 25 from each otherand permit flange areas 24 to flex or otherwise move independent of eachother, although flange areas 24 remain connected to panel area 23.Additionally, each flange area 24 defines various registration apertures26 that form holes extending through panel 21.

Panels 21 may further include a thermoplastic hot-melt layer 35 appliedto interior side 27 to ultimately facilitate and strengthen the bondingof panels 21 to one another. According to the embodiment depicted inFIG. 4, hot-melt layer 35 is deposited adjacent to reference line 29,along the outward edges of panel 23 and along the inward edges of thefive flange areas 24, forming a hollow pentagonal shape that crossesdashed reference line 29 between panel 23 and flange areas 24. Asdiscussed in more detail below, when panels 23 are welded or otherwisejoined together to form casing 20, reference line 29 approximates a seamline 22 between panels. Thus, according to the embodiment depicted inFIG. 4, hot-melt layer 35 abuts and extends along an approximate seam(reference line 29) between panels 21, both on the panel 23 side and theflange 24 side, facilitating a bond at the seam. However, as notedabove, the panels may be configured using many different shapes, andthus the hot-melt layer 35 applied to the interior side 27 may also takeon various shapes.

Thermoplastic hot-melt layer 35 may include a thermoplastic polymermaterial. As noted above, a thermoplastic polymer material transitionsfrom a solid state to a softened or liquid state when subjected tosufficient heat, and then the thermoplastic polymer material transitionsfrom the softened or liquid state to the solid state when sufficientlycooled. Thermoplastic polymer materials may also be welded or heatbonded, as described in greater detail below, to other textile elements,plates, sheets, polymer foam elements, thermoplastic polymer elements,thermoset polymer elements, or a variety of other elements formed fromvarious materials. Thus, as set forth in more detail below, when panels21 are welded together and heat is applied, hot-melt layer 35 mayprovide an additional bond to interior side 27 of panel 21, tointermediate layer 30 or bladder 40, as well as across seam 22. Althougha wide range of thermoplastic polymer materials may be utilized forhot-melt layer 35, examples of some suitable thermoplastic polymermaterials include thermoplastic polyurethane, polyamide, polyester,polypropylene, polyolefin, and rubber. In some configurations, thethermoplastic polymer materials of hot-melt layer 35 may be sheets orlayers that are bonded to interior side 27. In other configurations, thethermoplastic polymer materials of hot-melt layer 35 may be a liquidpolymer or uncured polymer resin that is deposited upon interior side 27through spraying and then solidified or cured. That is, a spray polymermay be applied to interior side 27 to form hot-melt layer 35.Accordingly, the materials forming hot-melt layer 35 and the manner inwhich the materials are applied may vary significantly.

A hot-melt layer may be applied to interior side 27 of panel 21 in avariety of configurations according to additional embodiments set forthherein. Alternative configurations of the hot-melt layer may presentefficiencies in manufacturing and may provide additional strength acrosspanels 21. FIGS. 5A-5C depict plan views of additional configurations ofembodiments of an interior side 27 with a hot-melt layer as set forthherein. In FIG. 5A, hot-melt layer 36 extends over entire panel 23,across reference line 29 and along the inside edge of flanges 24. Onceheat-activated, hot-melt layer 36 may provide additional strength andbonding across a seam between panels 21 (approximately at reference line29), and may also provide additional integrity to panel 21 as a whole.

A hot-melt layer may also be applied to the interior side 27 of anentire panel 21, as depicted in FIG. 5B as hot-melt layer 37. Accordingto the embodiment, hot-melt layer 37 may be applied across the entiretyof both panel 23 and flanges 24. Such a configuration may provide addedstrength across an entire bonded panel 21 as well as presentefficiencies in application of the hot-melt layer 37 to the panel. Onceheat-activated, hot-melt layer 37 may provide additional strength andbonding across a seam between panels 21 (approximately at reference line29), and may also provide additional integrity to panel 21 as a whole.

A hot-melt layer configuration 38 presented in the embodiment of FIG. 5Cis yet another configuration of a hot-melt layer applied to interiorside 27 of panel 21. According to the embodiment depicted in FIG. 5C,hot-melt layer 38 is deposited adjacent to reference line 29, along theoutward edges of panel 23, forming a hollow pentagonal shape that liesadjacent to, but does not cross dashed reference line 29 between panel23 and flange areas 24. As discussed in more detail below, referenceline 29 approximates a seam line 22 between panels, and thus, accordingto the embodiment depicted in FIG. 5C, hot-melt layer 38 abuts andextends along an approximate seam (reference line 29) between panels 21on the panel 23 side, facilitating a bond at the seam.

The hot-melt layer as described above may be applied in a number ofdifferent configurations to a panel 21 and still fall within the spiritand scope of the present disclosure. Further, it is understood that thehot-melt layer set forth herein is not limited to any of theaforementioned configurations, and the hot-melt layer may be configuredin a variety of ways and may be applied in a variety of differentconfigurations, in addition to the configurations discussed herein. Forsimplicity, the remainder of the description will refer to the hot-meltlayer 35 configuration as presented in FIG. 4, however, the foregoingprinciples may be applied to a variety of configurations.

Panel areas 23 of the various panels 21 form a majority, or all, of theportion of casing 20 that is visible on the exterior of ball 10. Flangeareas 24, however, form portions of panels 21 that are bonded togetherto join panels 21 to each other. Additionally, portions of flange areas24 may be trimmed or otherwise removed during a manufacturing processfor ball 10, as described below. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, an exampleof the manner in which two panels 21 are joined to each other isdepicted. Although panel areas 23 are generally co-planar with eachother, the joined flange areas 24 bend upward and are joined alongabutting surfaces. Dashed reference line 31 in FIG. 7 denotes where theflanges of panels 21 join together. Additionally, registration apertures26 from each of the joined flange areas 24 are aligned. By aligningregistration apertures 26 prior to bonding (i.e., through welding),flange areas 24 are properly positioned relative to each other. Asdiscussed in greater detail below, portions of the joined flange areas24 may be trimmed during the manufacturing process for casing 20exposing hot-melt layer 35 along reference line 29 for hot-melt bondingacross seam 22. Note that the upwardly-facing surfaces in FIGS. 6 and 7are located on an interior of ball 10 once manufacturing is completed,and downwardly-facing surfaces form an exterior surface of ball 10.

Panels 21 are discussed above as including a polymer material, which maybe utilized to secure panels 21 to each other. Examples of suitablepolymer materials for panels 21 include thermoplastic and/or thermosetpolyurethane, polyamide, polyester, polypropylene, and polyolefin. Insome configurations, panels 21 may incorporate filaments or fibers thatreinforce or strengthen casing 20. In further configurations, panels 21may have a layered structure that includes an outer layer of the polymermaterial and an inner layer formed from a textile, polymer foam, orother material that is bonded with the polymer material.

When exposed to sufficient heat, the polymer materials within panels 21transition from a solid state to either a softened state or a liquidstate, particularly when a thermoplastic polymer material is utilized.When sufficiently cooled, the polymer materials then transition backfrom the softened state or the liquid state to the solid state. Basedupon these properties of polymer materials, welding processes may beutilized to form a weld that joins portions of panels 21 (i.e., flangeareas 24) to each other. As utilized herein, the term “welding” orvariants thereof is defined as a securing technique between two elementsthat involves a softening or melting of a polymer material within atleast one of the elements such that the materials of the elements aresecured to each other when cooled. Similarly, the term “weld” orvariants thereof is defined as the bond, link, or structure that joinstwo elements through a process that involves a softening or melting of apolymer material within at least one of the elements such that thematerials of the elements are secured to each other when cooled. Asexamples, welding may involve (a) the melting or softening of two panels21 that include polymer materials such that the polymer materials fromeach panel 21 intermingle with each other (e.g., diffuse across aboundary layer between the polymer materials) and are secured togetherwhen cooled and (b) the melting or softening a polymer material in afirst panel 21 such that the polymer material extends into orinfiltrates the structure of a second panel 21 (e.g., infiltratescrevices or cavities formed in the second panel 21 or extends around orbonds with filaments or fibers in the second panel 21) to secure thepanels 21 together when cooled. Welding may occur when only one panel 21includes a polymer material or when both panels 21 include polymermaterials. Additionally, welding does not generally involve the use ofstitching or adhesives, but involves directly bonding panels 21 to eachother with heat. In some situations, however, stitching or adhesives maybe utilized to supplement the weld or the joining of panels 21 throughwelding. Still in other embodiments, panels 21 may be joined bystitching, e.g., by stitching along reference line 29, and the seamreinforced by hot-melt layer 35, as discussed in more detail below.

A variety of techniques may be utilized to weld flange areas 24 to eachother, including conduction heating, radiant heating, radio frequency(RF) heating, ultrasonic heating, and laser heating. An example of awelding die 60 that may be utilized to form seams 22 by bonding twoflange areas 24 is depicted in FIGS. 8 and 9. Welding die 60 includestwo portions 61 that generally correspond in length with a length of oneof the sides of panels 21. That is, the length of welding die 60 isgenerally as long as or longer than the lengths of flange areas 24. Eachportion 61 also defines a facing surface 62 that faces the other portion61. That is, facing surfaces 62 face each other. If utilized forpurposes of conduction heating, for example, portions 61 may eachinclude internal heating elements or conduits that channel a heatedliquid in order to sufficiently raise the temperature of welding die 60to form a weld between flange areas 24. If utilized for purposes ofradio frequency heating, one or both of portions 61 may emit radiofrequency energy that heats the particular polymer material withinpanels 21. In addition to welding die 60, a variety of other apparatusesthat may effectively form a weld between panels 21 may be utilized.

A general process for joining panels 21 with welding die 60 will now bediscussed with reference to FIGS. 10A-10E. Initially, adjacent flangeareas 24 from two panels 21 are located such that (a) surfaces of theflange areas 24 face each other and (b) registration apertures 26 aregenerally aligned, as depicted in FIG. 10A. Portions 61 of welding die60 are also located on opposite sides of the abutting flange areas 24.Portions 61 then compress flange areas 24 together between facingsurfaces 62 to cause surfaces of flange areas 24 to contact each other,as depicted in FIG. 10B. By heating flange areas 24 with welding die 60,the polymer materials within flange areas 24 melt or otherwise soften toa degree that facilitates welding between flange areas 24, as depictedin FIG. 10C, thereby forming seam 22 between panels 21. Once seam 22 isformed by bonding flange areas 24 together, die portions 61 may retractfrom flange areas 24, as depicted in FIG. 10D. Excess portions of flangeareas 24, which may include portions that define registration apertures26, are then trimmed or otherwise removed to complete the formation ofone of seams 22, as depicted in FIG. 10E.

A variety of trimming processes may be utilized to remove the excessportions of flange areas 24. As examples, the trimming processes mayinclude the use of a cutting apparatus, a grinding wheel, or an etchingprocess. As another example, welding die 60 may incorporate cuttingedges 63, as depicted in FIG. 11, that trim flange areas 24 during thewelding process. That is, cutting edges 63 may be utilized to protrudethrough flange areas 24 and effectively trim flange areas 24 as portions61 heat and compress flange areas 24 together between facing surfaces62. Further, cutting edges 63 may compress flange areas 24 at referenceline 29 such that hot-melt layer 35, which may be warm from the weldingprocess, effectively extends across seam 22.

A portion of hot-melt layer 35 may also be activated (e.g., melted orsoftened) during the welding process. For example, portions 27, whichmay contact die portions 61 during welding may be subjected to heat andmay be partially heat-activated to form a bond during the welding stage.The subsequent activation of hot-melt layer 35 is discussed in moredetail below; however, an initial activation of portions 27 of hot-meltlayer 35 by welding die 60 may provide additional bonding and support toseams 22.

The general process of welding flange areas 24 to form seams 22 betweenpanels 21 was generally discussed above relative to FIGS. 10A-10E. Thisgeneral process may be repeatedly performed with multiple panels 21 andon multiple flange areas 24 of each panel 21 to effectively form agenerally spherical or closed structure, as depicted in FIG. 12A. Thatis, multiple panels 21 may be welded together through the generalprocess discussed above in order to form various seams 22 in casing 20.A similar configuration is depicted in FIG. 12B, wherein flange areas 24are trimmed. As discussed above, the trimming or removal of flange areas24 may occur following the welding process or may occur at the time ofthe welding process.

Although seams 22 are generally formed between each of flange areas 24,at least two flange areas 24 may remain unbonded to each other at thisstage of the manufacturing process. Referring to FIGS. 12A and 12B,unbonded flange areas 24 are identified with reference numeral 24′. Onepurpose of leaving at least two flange areas 24 unbonded to each otheris that casing 20 may be turned inside-out through an opening formedbetween the unbonded flanges 24. More particularly, the unbonded flanges24 may be separated to form an opening 28, as depicted in FIG. 12B, andcasing 20 may be reversed or turned inside-out through opening 28 toimpart the configuration depicted in FIG. 12C. Whereas the trimmedportions of flange areas 24 protrude outward in FIG. 12B, reversing orturning casing 20 inside-out through opening 28 between unbonded flangeareas 24 places all of flange areas 24 within casing 20. Accordingly,the trimmed flange areas 24 protrude inward rather than outward oncecasing 20 is reversed or turned inside-out. Moreover, turning casing 20inside-out also places hot-melt layer 35 on the interior of casing 20.Referring back to FIG. 3, for example, an exterior of casing 20 has agenerally smooth configuration, while portions of casing 20corresponding with flange areas 24 protrude inward. Although panels 21form an indentation on the exterior of ball 10 in the areas of seams 22,similar indentations are commonly found in game balls with stitchedseams.

At this stage of the manufacturing process, casing 20 may besubstantially formed from the welding of panels 21 and the surfaces ofcasing 20 oriented inward, though opening 28 may still exist andhot-melt layer 35 may be further heat-activated as set forth below.Opening 28 in casing 20 formed between unbonded flange areas 24 may nowbe utilized to insert intermediate layer 30 and bladder 40, as depictedin FIG. 12D. That is, intermediate layer 30 and bladder 40 may belocated within casing 20 through opening 28 that was utilized to reverseor turn casing 20 inside-out. Intermediate layer 30 and bladder 40 arethen properly positioned within casing 20, which may include partiallyinflating bladder 40 to induce contact between surfaces of intermediatelayer 30 and casing 20. Additionally, a valved opening 72 of bladder 40may be located to extend through intermediate layer 30 and casing 20,thereby being accessible from an exterior of ball 10. Once intermediatelayer 30 and bladder 40 are properly positioned within casing 20,opening 28 in casing 20 formed between unbonded flange areas 24 may besealed, as depicted in FIG. 12E. More particularly, a sealing die 70 mayform a weld between the unbonded flange areas 24 to form a final seam 22that effectively closes casing 20. As an alternative to welding,stitching or adhesives may be utilized to close casing 20.

Once ball 10 has been formed such that flange areas 24 of panels 21 havebeen sealed, as depicted in FIG. 12E, bladder 40 may be fullypressurized, and hot-melt layer 35 may be activated to strengthen thebond across seams 22 on the interior of the ball. FIG. 13 depicts amanufacturing assembly 80, which may be used to finish pressurization ofball 10 and to activate hot-melt layer 35.

Assembly 80 may represent a full cube or other three-dimensional shapewith a hollowed-out spherical cavity 82 for receiving ball 10. Accordingto at least one embodiment, assembly 80 may be comprised of twoidentical, but oppositely situated, sides 84 that may be opened athinges 86 to reveal spherical cavity 82 within. Assembly 80 may furtherinclude opening 88 to allow for insertion of a pressurization device(not shown), as well as a heat source (also not shown) for transferringheat to a ball placed in cavity 82. As shown in the embodiment of FIG.13, cavity 82 is spherical to receive a spherically-shaped ball, e.g.ball 10. When closed, as depicted in FIG. 14, sides 84 mate in a flushmanner with each other, creating spherical cavity 82 within. It shouldbe understood, however, that assembly 80 may be constructed in a varietyof alternative shapes and sizes to accommodate a variety of ball shapesand sizes.

According to an embodiment set forth herein, assembly 80 may beconstructed from a variety of generally rigid materials that will notdeform when subjected to stress, heat, or pressurization from within,yet will further allow for heat transfer. Examples of suitable materialsfor assembly 80 include various metals (e.g., steel, aluminum, titanium)and various polymer materials (e.g., thermoset polymers andthermoplastic polymers with relatively high melting temperatures),though those skilled in the art will readily identify other related orsuitable materials.

As discussed above, ball 10 may be placed in assembly 80 to completepressurization and to activate hot-melt layer 35. FIG. 15 depicts ball10 being placed in assembly 80. Ball 10 may be placed such that valveopening 72 (not shown in FIG. 15) matches up with opening 88 of assembly80 to allow an air source to be inserted into valve opening 72 forpressurization. According to additional embodiments, an air source maybe incorporated into assembly 80. Once ball 10 is positioned inspherical cavity 82, assembly 80 may be closed as depicted in FIG. 14.Once closed, assembly 80 provides a restrictive cavity for ball 10 forfull pressurization to a desired shape, and in the case of theembodiment of ball 10 and assembly 80, to a spherical shape.

Assembly 80 also allows for a heat transfer to activate hot-melt layer35 during the pressurization process to further strengthen seams 22 andadd to the overall integrity of casing 20 of ball 10. As set forthabove, hot-melt layer 35 may be comprised of a thermoplastic polymermaterial that melts when heated and returns to a solid state when cooledsufficiently. Based upon this property of thermoplastic polymermaterials, welding processes, as discussed above, may be utilized tojoin hot-melt layer 35 to portions of the interior side of casing 20,including portions of interior side 27 of panels 21 and across seams 22.In some circumstances, hot-melt layer 35 may also bond to portions ofintermediate layer 30.

Accordingly, the welding of hot-melt layer 35 to the interior side 27 ofpanels 21, across seams 22, and in some cases to intermediate layer 30,may involve melting the thermoplastic polymer material of hot-melt layer35 such that when the thermoplastic polymer material cools, it bonds tothe interior side of panel 21 and across seams 22 to strengthen thoseportions of casing 20. Furthermore, according to additional embodiments,the thermoplastic polymer materials present in panels 21 may beinfiltrated or also melted, as described above, such that the materialalso comingles with hot-melt layer 35 during the heat bonding process.

A variety of techniques may be utilized to activate and heat bondhot-melt layer 35 across seams 22. As will be appreciated by thoseskilled in the art, any technique useful for transferring heat acrossmaterials may be incorporated into assembly 80 or similar structure.Such techniques may include, but are not limited to, conduction heating,radiant heating, radio frequency (RF) heating, ultrasonic heating, andlaser heating. By using heat transfer from the walls of cavity 82 acrosscasing 20 while ball 10 is pressurized, hot-melt layer 35 may beactivated across seams 22 on the interior side of casing 20 tostrengthen seams 22 and ensure the integrity of the final shape of ball10 in a fully pressurized state.

Based upon the above discussion, casing 20 may be at least partiallyformed by joining panels 21, which may include a hot-melt layer 35 oninterior side 27, through a welding process, wherein the seams 22between panels are subsequently sealed by heat activation of hot-meltlayer 35. In comparison with other methods of joining panels, thewelding process may reduce the overall mass of ball 10 and increasemanufacturing efficiency, and the hot-melt bond may increase thestrength and integrity of the seams 22 between panels 21 and acrosspanels 21 or other areas of the casing 20. Once the welding process isutilized to join panels 21, an opening in casing 20 may be utilized toreverse or turn casing inside-out to place protruding areas within ball10, thereby forming a substantially smooth exterior surface.Additionally, intermediate layer 30 and bladder 40 may be insertedthrough the opening in casing 20, the bladder 40 partially inflated, andcasing 20 subsequently sealed. After ball 10 has been formed, partiallyinflated and sealed, ball 10 may be placed in manufacturing assembly 80to complete pressurization and activate hot-melt layer 35 across seams22.

FIG. 17 depicts an additional embodiment of a sport ball 1710, havingthe general configuration of a soccer ball. As in previous embodiments,ball 1710 exhibits a layered structure having a casing 1720 that formsan exterior portion of ball 1710 and an inflatable bladder 1740 thatforms an interior portion of ball 1710. In contrast to previousembodiments, an intermediate layer or restriction structure, such asintermediate layer 30 may be absent. Thus, upon pressurization ofbladder 1740, ball 1710 may take on a substantially spherical shape asbladder 1740 causes bladder 40 to place an outward force upon casing1720. Accordingly, casing 1720 restrains pressure from bladder 1740,thereby imparting a spherical shape to ball 1710, and acting as both anexterior surface and restricting layer for bladder 1740.

Casing 1720 may be similar to previously described embodiments in thatit may be formed from various panels 1721 that are joined together alongabutting sides or edges to form a plurality of seams 1722. As can beseen in FIG. 18, which depicts a cross-section of two joined panels1721, each panel 1721 of the casing 1720 has an exterior side 1728 thatultimately forms the exterior of ball 1710, as well as an interior side1727 which ultimately lies on the interior of ball 1710. And althoughpanels 1721 are depicted as having the shapes of twelve equilateralpentagons, panels 1721 may have non-equilateral shapes, concave orconvex edges, or a variety of other shapes (e.g., triangular, square,rectangular, hexagonal, trapezoidal, round, oval, non-geometrical) andnumber of panels that combine in a tessellation-type manner to formcasing 1720. Accordingly, the configuration of casing 1720 may varysignificantly.

The panels 1721 of sport ball 1710 may be joined by stitching or by awelding process as described in relation to previous embodiments. Moreparticularly, panels 1721 are at least partially formed from a polymermaterial, which may be a thermoplastic polymer material, and edges ofpanels 1721 may be heated and bonded to each other to form seams 1722.An example of the configuration of seams 1722 is depicted in thecross-section of FIG. 18, wherein the welding process has effectivelysecured, bonded, or otherwise joined two of panels 1721 to each other bycombining or comingling the polymer material from each of panels 1721.In some configurations, some of panels 1721 may be joined throughstitching or various seams 1722 may be supplemented with stitching. Aspreviously discussed, one advantage of using welding for establishingthe seams between panels is the ability to limit the weight of a sportball. Further, by omitting an intermediate restrictive layer as seen inthe embodiment of sport ball 1710, the weight of sport ball 1710 may belimited even further.

Sport ball 1710 may also include provisions for adding strength andstability to seams 1722, such as hot-melt thermoplastic polymer layer1735 applied to an interior side 1727 of panel 1721. Hot-melt layer 1735may be formed as described in previously discussed embodiments, whereinthe thermoplastic polymer material comprising layer 1735 melts whenheated and returns to a solid state when cooled, allowing for additionalbonding of the thermoplastic materials along seam 1722. Hot-melt layer1735 may be positioned in any of the manners previously discussed andshown in FIG. 4 and FIGS. 5A-5C.

Once ball 1710 has been formed such that panels 1721 have been sealed,as depicted in FIG. 18, and bladder 1740 has been inserted in casing1720, bladder 1740 may be fully pressurized and hot-melt layer 1735 maybe activated according to the techniques described in detail in relationto FIGS. 12C-15. Accordingly, hot-melt layer 1735 may be activated tostrengthen the bond across seams 1722 on the interior of the ball aspreviously described. It should be further noted that during theactivation of hot-melt layer 1735, thermoplastic polymers present inboth the hot-melt layer 1735 and bladder 1740 may additionally comingleto form a bond between layers 1720 and 1740 in addition to a bond alongseams 1722.

It should be understood that sport ball 1710 may be formed from the sameor similar materials as discussed with respect to previous embodiments.Sport ball 1710 may also be assembled and fully pressurized according totechniques discussed herein, while omitting intermediate layer 30. Thoseskilled in the art will readily appreciate the broad scope of variationsand embodiments that fall within the spirit and scope of thisdisclosure, and will understand that the embodiment depicted in FIGS.17-18 shall be considered exemplary.

The invention is disclosed above and in the accompanying figures withreference to a variety of configurations. The purpose served by thedisclosure, however, is to provide an example of the various featuresand concepts related to the invention, not to limit the scope of theinvention. One skilled in the relevant art will recognize that numerousvariations and modifications may be made to the configurations describedabove without departing from the scope of the present invention, asdefined by the appended claims.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A sport ball comprising: a casing having aplurality of panels joined together at seams, the casing including afirst thermoplastic polymer material; a second thermoplastic polymermaterial bonded to an interior surface of the casing, the secondthermoplastic polymer material extending across the seams; anintermediate layer within the casing, the intermediate layer having alimited degree of stretch; and a bladder within the intermediate layer,the bladder being configured to contain a pressurized gas; wherein thesecond thermoplastic polymer material includes a first portion alignedwith the seam of the casing, and a second portion adiacent the firstportion; and wherein the first portion has a first thickness and thesecond portion has a second thickness, the first thickness being lessthan the second thickness.
 2. The sport ball of claim 1, wherein a firstportion of the first panel including the first thermoplastic polymermaterial is joined to a second portion of the second panel including thefirst thermoplastic polymer material.
 3. The sport ball of claim 2,wherein the second thermoplastic polymer material forms a layerseparating the exterior surface of the casing from the intermediatelayer at the seams.
 4. The sport ball of claim 1, wherein the pluralityof panels are joined together by welding.
 5. The sport ball of claim 1,wherein the second thermoplastic polymer material is bonded to theintermediate layer.
 6. The sport ball of claim 1, wherein the secondthermoplastic polymer material is configured to be activated by heatduring an initial pressurization of the ball.
 7. The sport ball of claim1, wherein the second thermoplastic polymer material is applied tosubstantially all of the interior surface of the casing.
 8. A sport ballcomprising: a casing forming at least a portion of an exterior surfaceof the ball, the casing including a first panel and a second panel, thefirst panel having a first exterior surface, a first interior surface, afirst central portion, and a first edge area extending around the firstcentral portion; the second panel having a second exterior surface, asecond interior surface, a second central portion, and a second edgearea extending around the second central portion; a first thermoplasticpolymer material layer on the first interior surface and adjacent to thefirst edge area of the first panel; a second thermoplastic polymermaterial layer on the second interior surface and adjacent to the secondedge area of the second panel; at least one seam joining (a) the firstedge area of the first panel and the second edge area of the secondpanel and (b) the first exterior surface of the first panel and thesecond exterior surface of the second panel; wherein the firstthermoplastic polymer material layer of the first panel and the secondthermoplastic polymer material layer of the second panel are joined toone another with a weld, thereby forming a reinforcing layer extendingacross the seam; an intermediate layer within the casing, theintermediate layer having a limited degree of stretch, wherein theintermediate layer has an outer surface oriented toward an exterior ofthe ball; and a bladder located within the intermediate layer andconfigured to be pressurized with air; wherein the outer surface of theintermediate layer contacts the first thermoplastic material layerproximate the first edge portion of the first panel; wherein the outersurface of the intermediate layer contacts the first interior surface ofthe first panel in the central portion of the first panel; wherein thefirst edge area is formed by a first flange area and the second edgearea is formed by a second flange area; and wherein the first flangearea and the second flange area abut one another and bend toward acenter of the ball.
 9. The sport ball of claim 8, wherein at least oneof the first thermoplastic polymer material layer and the secondthermoplastic polymer material layer is bonded to the intermediatelayer.
 10. The sport ball of claim 8, wherein the seam is a welded seam.11. The sport ball of claim 8, wherein the seam is a stitched seam. 12.The sport ball of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of additionalpanels, each of the additional panels comprising an additional layer ofthermoplastic polymer material on an interior surface and adjacent toedge areas of each additional panel, wherein the thermoplastic polymermaterial of the additional layer is configured to be activated by heat,wherein the plurality of additional panels are joined at a plurality ofseams, and wherein the thermoplastic polymer material of the additionallayer has been heat-activated.
 13. The sport ball of claim 8, whereinthe casing includes a plurality of panels including the first panel andthe second panel; wherein all of the plurality of panels are joined atseams with reinforcing layers in substantially the same configuration asthe first panel and the second panel.
 14. The sport ball of claim 8,wherein the weld joining the first thermoplastic polymer material layerof the first panel and the second thermoplastic polymer material layerof the second panel has a first thickness; wherein portions of the firstthermoplastic polymer material layer and the second thermoplasticpolymer material layer adjacent to the weld have a second thickness; andwherein the first thickness is less than the second thickness.
 15. Asport ball comprising: a casing having a plurality of panels joinedtogether at seams in which exterior surfaces of adjacent panels arejoined to one another at edge portions of the panels; a thermoplasticpolymer material bonded to an interior surface of the panels, thethermoplastic polymer material extending across the seams; anintermediate layer within the casing, the intermediate layer having alimited degree of stretch; and a bladder within the intermediate layer,the bladder being configured to contain a pressurized gas; wherein thethermoplastic polymer material forms a layer separating the exteriorsurfaces of the casing panels from the intermediate layer at the seams;wherein the thermoplastic polymer material forms reinforcing strips, thereinforcing strips having inwardly curving portions aligned with theseams between casing panels, the inwardly curving portions curvinginward toward a center of the sport ball, and wherein the inwardlycurving portions have a truncated, inwardly-extending configuration. 16.The sport ball of claim 15, wherein the thermoplastic polymer materialis bonded to the intermediate layer.
 17. The sport ball of claim 15,wherein the thermoplastic polymer material extending across each seam isformed by a first thermoplastic polymer layer on one panel and a secondthermoplastic polymer layer on a second panel, wherein the firstthermoplastic material layer and the second thermoplastic material layerare melted together, thereby extending across the seam.
 18. The sportball of claim 15, wherein the plurality of panels are joined together bywelding.
 19. The sport ball of claim 15, wherein the thermoplasticpolymer material is a spray polymer.
 20. The sport ball of claim 15,wherein the truncated, inwardly-extending configuration of thereinforcing strips includes a first thermoplastic polymer material and asecond thermoplastic polymer material wherein the second thermoplasticpolymer material includes a first portion aligned with the seam of thecasing, and a second portion adjacent the first portion; and wherein thefirst portion has a first thickness and the second portion has a secondthickness, the first thickness being less than the second thickness.